• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Bands & Projects
    • Marty Willson-Piper
    • Marty & Olivia
    • Noctorum
    • MOAT
    • Atlantæum Flood
    • Anekdoten
      • How I Joined Anekdoten
    • The Church
      • Sleeve Notes
    • All About Eve
  • Discography
  • Gear
  • Talking
  • Lyrics
    • SOLO ALBUMS
      • In Reflection
      • Art Attack
      • Rhyme
      • Spirit Level
      • Hanging Out In Heaven
      • Nightjar
    • NOCTORUM
      • Sparks Lane
      • Offer The Light
      • Honey Mink Forever
      • The Afterlife
    • MOAT
      • Moat
      • Poison Stream
    • Seeing Stars
  • Sleeve Notes
    • Of Skins And Heart
    • The Blurred Crusade
    • Seance
    • Heyday
    • Starfish
    • Gold Afternoon Fix
    • Priest = Aura
  • Bandcamp

Marty Willson-Piper

The official home of Marty Willson-Piper

  • News
  • Blog
  • Shows
  • Songwriting & Guitar Guidance
  • In Deep Music Archive
  • Contact

Jul 15 2021

TO WHERE I AM NOW

Today Olivia and I have been together for five years. We met on the afternoon of July 15th when I was playing with Swedish progressives Anekdoten at Europe’s biggest progressive festival, Night Of The Prog. That weekend Focus were playing, Hawkwind, and The Musical Box, the Genesis tribute band from Montreal that are so authentic that it’s more like a biopic than a gig. Olivia was and is the host of this festival and when we arrived she spoke to me first and in Swedish as she has a Swedish mamma and presumed that every member of the band was Swedish – that was the beginning and here we are five years later, married, living in Portugal and musical compadres. I stayed at the festival longer than the other band members because I wanted to see The Musical Box and they were last on, on the last night. I also saw Hawkwind (who sounded more like a punk band than a space rock band) and Focus. I also went on a river trip down the Rhine and got sunburnt. After the festival, we said our goodbyes but it was only a matter of days that we were together again in Dublin where I was playing a solo show and, yes, here we are.

Photo by Noel Warn

We went to the gym today, yes, even on our anniversary, and it was hot, 30/82 degrees. On the way, an old man and his wife were about to drive out of their parking spot. The man was driving but before he did that he threw litter out onto the pavement, Olivia picked it up and threw it back through his window. I looked at them as if to say what are you doing? They didn’t respond at all, not any reaction, but he was definitely shamed. We carried on walking and as my mind drifted to another place, I was thinking about that peculiar moment when you are walking down the street and you find yourself walking next to someone you don’t know because you happen to be walking at the same speed. One of you has to speed up or slow down otherwise…you might have to…taaaalk, aggh.

Olivia was doing the last lesson in a course of Portuguese tonight and I had a sesh with Mike in Chicago. We finished almost at the same time and we sped out of the house to our anniversary dinner at Boa-Bao, the same restaurant we went to on my birthday. I had pad thai, Olivia massaman curry. The restaurant is half open-air and above us, swallows were flying and a single bat with the occasional seagull. Nice place and friendly in the heart of trendy Porto. We came back home by eleven, there’s a lockdown curfew although, on this hot night, it didn’t seem like people were rushing to make it home. A cool breeze ensued and we thought that we might watch the A Hard Day’s Night film after French, but my computer is playing up again and the wheel of death soon put an end to that, more on computers next week.

A quick reminder that Space Summit’s official video for I’m Electric is out and you can watch it here:

On the subject of space, Richard Branson’s trip, Jeff Bezos’ upcoming trip and Elon Musk’s future trip to space must be rather expensive and it made me think of Whitey on the Moon, Gil Scott-Heron’s payback on the exploration of space versus black poverty from his debut classic Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (1970). It’s more of a plea than anything else and rather than being name-calling reverse racism (as I’ve heard it described) by Scott-Heron using the ‘W’ word, it shows how futile and how unable this minority was/is to upset or shame leaders into doing something, anything for his people. The album famously contains The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, a catchphrase for future generations.

I saw Scott-Heron live at The Jazz Café in London many years ago, a memorable show, he was hours late but I got to meet his band because my mate Yeb from Cameroon was playing sax with him. Scott-Heron had a history of drug problems that landed him in prison and he died in 2011 aged 62.

Music Of The Daze

A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face and arms began to swell.
(and Whitey’s on the moon)

I can’t pay no doctor bills.
(but Whitey’s on the moon)
Ten years from now I’ll be payin’ still.
(while Whitey’s on the moon)

The man jus’ upped my rent las’ night.
(’cause Whitey’s on the moon)
No hot water, no toilets, no lights.
(but Whitey’s on the moon)

I wonder why he’s uppin’ me?
(’cause Whitey’s on the moon?)
I was already givin’ ‘im fifty a week.
(with Whitey on the moon)

Taxes takin’ my whole damn check,
Junkies makin’ me a nervous wreck,
The price of food is goin’ up,
An’ as if all that crap wasn’t enough
A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face an’ arm began to swell.
(and Whitey’s on the moon)

Was all that money I made las’ year
(for Whitey on the moon?)
How come I ain’t got no money here?
(Hm! Whitey’s on the moon)

Y’know I jus’ ’bout had my fill
(of Whitey on the moon)
I think I’ll sen’ these doctor bills,
Airmail special
(to Whitey on the moon)

Written by Marty Willson-Piper · Categorized: Blog

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there's any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

  • spotify
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube

Liking the blog?

Tour Dates

Instagram

Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵 📷 @oliviaelek Redeyed lad of the lowlands 🎵

📷 @oliviaelektra 

#danelectro #danelectrobass #redeyerecords #pleasantrylane #pleasantrylanestudio
You usually don’t spend the day in the studio an You usually don’t spend the day in the studio and the night at a gig but if you put the studio next to the gig then there’s a greater chance. So @salimnourallah did just that, he put the gig and the studio next to each other and made it possible for me to spend the day recording and the evening playing live 🎵

📷 @drewliophoto 

#galacticheadquarters #happinessarecordlabel #pleasantrylanestudio #salimnourallah #oliviawillsonpiper
TO WHERE I AM NOW A visit in the studio today fro TO WHERE I AM NOW

A visit in the studio today from old mate Mark Burgess from The Chameleons who has been hanging in Texas recently. I was thinking about the two of us growing up in the northwest of England and all these years later finding ourselves in such an unlikely spot together. We fixed a few issues in the universe and I carried on recording some guitars until Mark had to leave. Mark had played at the Galactic Headquarters next to the studio this year as Olivia and I had four years ago and this reminded me to remind myself to remind everyone to remind their friends that we will be playing there with Salim on Saturday, New Year’s Eve, for the ultimate in intimate performance. You can get tickets here (follow link below).

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1045

KEEP IN TOUCH: https://linktr.ee/mwillsonpiper

📷 @salimnourallah 

#markburgess #thechameleons #chameleonsvox #pleasantrylanestudio #happinessarecordlabel #martywillsonpiper #oliviawillsonpiper #moatband
📷 @argirgirl 📷 @argirgirl
TO WHERE I AM NOW Sadness manifested in a buildin TO WHERE I AM NOW

Sadness manifested in a building, today we went to visit Paisley Park. Prince built Paisley Park in Chanhassen, about twenty minutes southwest of Minneapolis. It opened in 1987 and he recorded his later albums there. Apart from Prince, REM also recorded and mixed Out Of Time there, recording Kate Pearson’s vocal on Shiny Happy People vocal. Madonna had Prince play guitar on three songs from Like A Prayer and the two co-wrote Love Song, finishing it remotely due to Madonna not being able to stand the cold weather and the rather desolate location of the studio. Of course, there are things around but it’s not in the city and it’s not in the countryside, it’s in a suburb, no distractions, just what Prince wanted.

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1032

KEEP IN TOUCH: https://linktr.ee/mwillsonpiper

📷 @argirgirl 

#paisleypark #prince
Marty & Pablo! 📷 Rod MacQuarrie Marty & Pablo!

📷 Rod MacQuarrie
At last, a proper door stop. 📷 @judgeschamber At last, a proper door stop.

📷 @judgeschamber 

#grammysitting 👵
🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵 31 December - DALL 🌵 Texas Acoustic Dates 🌵

31 December - DALLAS
7 January - CELINA
12 January - HOUSTON
14 January - AUSTIN
15 January - SAN ANTONIO

With @salimnourallah and @joereyesmusic

More info here: https://mailchi.mp/e47ede06acd6/texas-acoustic-dates
Doors & Delays 🎸 @workshop21_guitarclinic #the Doors & Delays 🎸

@workshop21_guitarclinic #thedoors #fenderstratocaster #fenderhotroddeville #nashtelecaster #rickenbacker
Load More… Follow on Instagram

Mailing List

In Deep Music Archive

Songwriting & Guitar Guidance with Marty Willson-Piper
ORDER HERE

"These are awesome sessions that I highly recommend for guitar players of all levels. Very informative, frank discussions on everything related to guitar and music in general. Definitely a must for anyone pursuing songwriting."
(Stephen G., VA, USA)

"Marty knows how to bypass scales and get to the heart of feel and timing. His musical knowledge spans multiple cultures and genres. Perhaps most importantly, Marty is a cool dude. I highly recommend his guitar guidance." (Jed B., MN, USA)

"Ok, so you’re sitting in your home and Marty is across the world but is actually right here teaching you how to play guitar and write songs. He is a delight to talk to and he is your teacher, meaning he wants to see you get something out of his lessons. You know he’s paying attention and wants to steer you in the right direction. I am so grateful and humbled that he offers his time in this manner. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who admires anything from his enormous body of work. How often do you get to learn from somebody that inspired you in the first place? Amazing." (Ann S., CA, USA)

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there’s any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

MARTY WILLSON-PIPER © 2023 - Front Page Images by Hajo Müller